Of Full Moons And Friendship Pacts
by RingosGarden
Summary: We all know that Sirius almost killed Snape while at school, but what was the full story? This is a 3 chapter fic written for Final Prophecy revolving around the the cause of the prank, the prank and the resolution.
1. Chapter 1

"What's your problem now, Siri?"

"Snape," I reply, with a glare to the Slytherin table. Like Remus even had to ask. Snape's been the bane of my existence for six years now.

He rolls his eyes at me like he always does. "What did he do now?"

"Fucker told McGonagall that me and James were the ones who trapped him in a suit of armor."

"You were."

Why is Remus always so rational? "That doesn't mean that he should have squealed and pegged us with a week of detention, which starts _tomorrow_. We were only getting him back for that stunt he pulled with Nott. He should have known he wouldn't get away with it."

Remus sighs and pushes his empty plate away from him. He had finished his lunch with gusto as the full moon is tonight and he will need all the energy that he can get. James had left the table already to chase after Evans, leaving me and Remus alone while Peter worked on not failing Transfiguration. "I don't see why you let him bother you so much. You should be used to anything he has to say to you by now."

He's right and I'll only admit it to him. "I don't know…there's just something about him."

Not being able to stomach any more food after talking about Snape, I push my plate towards Remus', making eye contact with a pretty blonde Hufflepuff fifth year whose name, for the life of me, I cannot remember.

"Friend of yours?" Remus asks with a knowing smirk, noticing the death glare that she sent my way.

"I told you about her," I reply, still focusing my eyes on her. "The Hufflepuff girl that I accidentally bedded." She had gotten pissed at me when I wanted nothing more to do with her afterwards. But I'm not a one girl guy. I want to play the field while I still have my good looks. Which, I have.

Remus starts to snicker. "It's not like you tripped and fell into her...and then out of her...and then into her...again."

And people think Remus is innocent. Far from it. "Whatever," I reply as the bell rings, signaling the end of lunch. "Ah, freedom," I say standing. Every Friday, me, Remus, Peter, and James are done with classes after lunch.

"Plans?" Remus asks, following me out of the Great Hall.

I shrug at him, gesturing with my head out towards the grounds. Remus gives a slight nod in agreement as we walk outside into the brisk Spring air. The last traces of Winter are disappearing and the snow has been gone from the grounds for over two weeks now. "I'm getting him back," I state suddenly, referring to Snape.

Remus doesn't reply, simply walking beside me to the giant Beech tree by the lake that we have claimed since first year. The castle knows not to mess with the Marauder's tree after several Ravenclaws found themselves with a few extra appendages.

"And it's going to be great," I continue, jumping up to catch a low hanging limb and swinging myself from it. Remus plops himself on the ground leaning his back against the tree.

In the sunlight, it's easy to see the effects of the upcoming moon on Remus. His skin is pale and the skin under his eyes is darker than normal. He didn't sleep much last night. "How you feeling?" I ask, dropping from the branch and lying on the ground, using one of Remus' crossed legs as a pillow.

It's odd. After six years of knowing James, Peter and Remus, the whole of Hogwarts, and even myself, considers James to be my best friend. But I have this deeper emotional connection with Remus. Something that James and I have never had.

Remus is easy to talk to. He'll let me rant and yell and complain and just get out whatever I need to and wait for me to finish before stating his own opinion. And he doesn't judge me. Not that James does, but I always feel like he does and I've never had that feeling from Remus. Probably because of the Werewolf thing. Although, I don't see what that would really matter.

"Alright," he replies with a sigh as I let my eyes drift closed. "Just tired."

"Mmm," I reply before having to stifle a yawn. I had stayed up with Remus last night playing chess until I could no longer keep my eyes open. The lack of sleep is catching up with me and tonight will be no different.

"Hey guys!"

I open my eyes but don't move to look beyond Remus' face. "James?"

He nods in response, looking straight ahead to where they were approaching us. "And Peter."

The sun is blocked from my face as James stands over me with a large grin plastered in his face. "You look like such a poof right now."

"Better than being one," I reply, sitting up with a scowl on my face. "Did you get the pitch reserved for tomorrow?" James was made captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team this year, and after receiving a week of detention, he and I can only practice either tomorrow or Sunday.

"Ten," he states, following Peter's example who just sat in the grass in front of Remus and I.

I can't help groaning. We'll be out until dawn with Remus tonight and having practice at ten means another night of little sleep.

"Sorry, Padfoot," he says. "I'm not too pleased either but it's the only time I could get and we need to beat Hufflepuff so we can't afford going without a practice."

"What does McGonagall have you guys doing?" Peter asks.

James and I both shrug. "Whatever it is," I reply. "I'm more than getting Snape back for it."

"Excellent," James says with a rather large grin. "Any thoughts?"

I frown. "Not yet…but mark my words. I'll get him. Bad."

"Should we be worried about you getting expelled?" Remus asks, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Always," I reply with a smirk of my own. I think that James and I have been lucky, with all the stunts that we have pulled within the past six years, that the worse that we have ever been given has been a week of detention. And that was only after a poorly aimed potion found itself covering Slughorn who, to the repulsion of one very disgusted fourth year Gryffindor and Slytherin potions class, found himself suddenly without any clothing as it burned the material off him.

James rubs his hands up and down his arms. "You guys mind going inside? I'm freezing my balls off here."

"Not like you'll need them anytime soon with Evans."

I don't register that he's tackled me until I've found myself on the ground with James pinning my arms behind my head, both Peter and Remus laughing. I quickly roll James over to reverse him in the pin but he quickly gets me back over.

"You through yet?" I hear Remus ask as I manage to once more pin James underneath me.

"Suppose so," I reply, jumping off James and helping him to his feet. "To the common room?"

James smirks and points his finger to the castle. "To the common room!"


	2. Chapter 2

"Hmmmmmmmm."

"Bored Padfoot?"

I grin at James. "Extremely," I reply from across the table from him, where, for about the second time in his entire existence, he was doing homework. "Where's Moony?"

"Two guesses," he replies, irritated at his assignment. "And if you guess under our table I'm going to sock you."

He knows my jokes too well. Maybe I should come up with some new ones. "When's sunset?"

"Hour and a half," he replies, not looking up from his parchment.

I give him a curt nod, which goes ultimately unnoticed by him, and push my chair away from the table before standing. "See you then."

Winking at a couple of second years, I make my way out of the common room and to the library where, no doubt, Remus is seated behind a mound of parchment and books.

Sure enough, there he is, settled in his typical table in the brightly lit windowed corner, behind the shelves of Charms books. Quietly as I can, I sneak up behind him, ready to pounce when-

"What do you want, Padfoot?"

I stop in my tracks.

"How'd you know it was me?" I ask with a frown, taking the seat across from him, having to push a pile of books out of the way.

He smiles at me. "I could both hear and smell you."

"I do _not _smell," I reply with a glare.

"You do," he replies with a smirk as he closes the book he was reading. "You smell like you and you sound like you. Funny thing about having heightened senses, it makes it difficult to be snuck up on."

"No fair."

His grin only widens. "What brings you into the bowels that which is the library?"

"You," I reply with my trademark wink. The girls love it.

He rolls his eyes at me. He always rolls his eyes at me. "I'm assuming that you could find nothing better to do than come here and pester me while I finish my Potion's essay?"

I shrug. "That may be it."

"Thought so," he replies, glancing out the window.

"You have to go soon."

"Yeah."

"You okay?"

Now it's his turn to shrug at me. I'm not good with inspirational or serious conversations; that's Remus' deal. I always feel like I should say more to him when it comes to the full moon, but I know nothing that I say can make him feel any better. So I just nod at him.

Merlin I'm useless sometimes. Although, he seems to know at least somewhat what is running through my head because he sends me a reassuring smile. Fuck, I should be the one reassuring him, not the other way around. But leave it to Remus.

"We've gone through this every month for four years now, Siri," he says softly, and I can't help but avert my eyes from his face. He's so calm about this. He deals with such an impediment and yet hardly ever lets it get to him. And I sit back and piss and moan about my family.

I look up in time to catch him glance at his pocket watch and frown before putting it back in his pocket.

"I should be going."

"Yeah," I say awkwardly. "I'll be with you in a bit. We all will."

He smiles at me and gathers up his books which were scattered across the table along with a quill, ink and several pieces of parchment.

"I'll see you then, Padfoot."

I watch him leave the library with a sigh, running my hand through my hair before staring out the window, losing track of the time.

"Where'd your lover go?"

My head snaps towards Snape's voice. He's alone, thank Merlin, and not much of a problem when by himself.

"Fuck off, Snivellus."

"Language, Black. Whatever would your dear Mum think if she heard you speak like that. Oh right…she can't even stand the sight of you."

Under any other typical mood, I would have cursed him by now, but I can't risk getting detained by a professor as I need to be with Remus tonight during his transformation.

I stand and take a few steps towards him, my hand wrapped tightly around my wand. "What do you want?"

"Where do you lot disappear to every month?" he asks me, his voice low.

Glaring at him, I reply. "It's none of your business."

He doesn't seem to agree with me though, as he smirks. "No? Well then maybe the headmaster would think it part of his business."

Shit. All Snape would have to do is mention that me, James and Peter leave every full moon and it will be enough for him to put two and two together. He may not guess that we're animagus, but he'd know we were up to something.

I make to walk around him, hoping that he'd just let me out of this conversation, but no such luck.

"What are you planning, Black? Some large-scale prank? Or is it something bigger? Maybe monthly brothels? I always knew that all the girls you went with were a farce."

In one quick movement I'm back in his face. "You want to know what we're up to, eh? There's a passage way under the Womping Willow. Poke the not in the stump with a large stick and you'll get in. Enjoy."

He allows me to storm pass him this time, which is great for me because I'm beyond angry and one more moment with him would have left me blowing him to bits. The sun has already set and I'll be late to meet up with James and Peter if I don't hurry.

"Password?"

"Gillyweed," I reply.

"No need to be so rude," she huffs back at me.

"Just open the door you great manatee."

After a very aghast look, she swings herself open and allows me into the common room where James and Peter are anxiously waiting at a table in the corner.

"What's wrong with you? Where have you been?" James asks as soon as I make my way to the two of them.

"Library," I reply. "Got held back by Snivellus."

James frowns. "What did he want?"

"To know where we went every month."

His face blanches. Like me, he hadn't thought that anyone outside of Gryffindor noticed. "And what did you tell him?"

I can't help smirking. "I told him how to get past the Willow if he wanted to find out for himself."

"You what!"

"What's the issue?" I ask James, who was now staring at me in horror. "The Prat will probably only get a few feet into the path before wetting himself and turning back."

"And if he doesn't?" James asks me, looking close to anger. "And if he reaches Remus, and Remus tears him apart?"

I don't respond. I hadn't thought of that. "Shit," I mutter. "I didn't think of that."

"Fuck Sirius!" James exclaims, making the students closest to us in the common room turn to us. "That's your fucking problem now isn't it? You don't think!"

He stands quickly, grasping the front of my robes and throwing me into his now vacated seat. "Stay the fuck here," he says through clenched teeth before turning in a rush out of the common room with Peter at his heel.


	3. Chapter 3

Shit.

Shit. Shit. Shit. _Shit._

"I said- follow me, Black."

I look at McGonagall petrified. I can't bring myself to respond to her at all and it takes an incredible amount of willpower to stand from the table and follow her out the common room to, what is most definitely, my inevitable death.

The walk to Dumbledore's office is in complete silence. I feel like I'm in reverse it's taking so long.

"Bloodpop."

I take a deep breath before following McGonagall up the stone steps to Dumbledore's office, where she opens the door and holds it our so I can go in first. I'm instantly the center of attention as Dumbledore, James, Peter, Snape and hundreds of portraits stare at me.

"Come in Mr. Black and take a seat," Dumbledore says, gesturing to a seat before his desk and in between James and Snape.

The room remains painfully quiet as I do what I am told, waiting for what happens next.

"Look at me."

I hadn't even realized that I had been looking at my feet. As soon as I am in trouble; real trouble, not the stupid shit that I usually get myself into, I revert back to my four year old self. I was too scared to look my father in the eyes. When I look back up at Dumbledore, he begins to speak. I can't help but notice that his usual twinkling eyes are clouded in disappointment.

"Now I've heard one side of this already and have been assured by Mr. Snape that he was telling the truth, and I feel inclined to believe him on most aspects. I do not, however, believe that it was your intent to kill him."

"No sir."

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Fuck, I'm in over my head this time. "I wasn't thinking," I manage to say, albeit softly.

I want to say more. I want to ask about Remus. I want to ask how far Snape went. If he knows about Remus being a werewolf. If I'm going to be expelled. But I can't. I feel like I've just woken up after drinking an entire handle of Firewhiskey. My throat is as dry now as it has ever been.

"That- is obvious." I nod at him, once more gluing my eyes to the floor. "I believe you have something to say to Mr. Snape."

I turn to my right where Snape is looking at me with an outmost look of detest on his face. Not that it's any different from any other time's he's looked at me, but something in my eyes tells me that it's different this time. That he really does hate me and it's not just some stupid school thing.

"I'm sorry, Sni-…Snape," I manage to say. "I-…I thought…" I give up attempting to explain myself. I rub my eyes and shake my head, the words just not coming.

"Well I think that's enough for tonight," Dumbledore says. "Severus here has promised to not ever speak a word of what transpired tonight or of Remus' condition, and Mr. Black, I will speak to you further at a later date. Now off to bed."

Opening my mouth to reply, I quickly shut it. He said at a later date. Sounds like thoughts of expulsion will have to wait.

James and Peter stand, and I follow suit, trailing a few feet behind them the entire way to the common room, up the stairs and to our dorm. Once more, an entire walk completely in silence. I don't like silence, it reminds me of home.

James sits on his bed, removing his socks. We make eye contact and his eyes show something towards me that I have never seen; repulsion?

"James-."

I'm cut off as his curtain is thrown shut around him.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0 **

Glancing at the clock, I swear. 10:30. James must be royally pissed at me if he didn't wake me up for practice.

I rush to get dressed, throwing my Chaser robes over my head, grabbing my broom, and rushing to the Pitch where the team is already running drills. I search around for James and find him at the far end of the Pitch, standing with his back against a wall, staring up at where the Keeper was having Quaffles thrown at him.

"Hey," I state when I finally reach him.

"We don't need you," he says, not even taking his eyes off the Keeper to look at me.

I stare at him dumbly. "What the bloody hell do you mean you don't need me?" I ask him in astonishment. "I'm the best Chaser we have!"

"Were," he says, finally looking at me. "We can't use someone who shows up late and turns his back on the team."

"You can't kick me off!"

"I just did, Black."

One thing that I've inherited thought being a Black, is my temper. I quickly grab the front of his robes in my hand that wasn't currently holding onto my broom, about ready to tell James just what I thought of having my name shot back in my face, but I never get the chance.

He quickly pushes me away, and then to my incredible surprise, reels his right fist back and sends it colliding into my face, sending me sprawling on the grass.

Leaning over me, where I still lie in surprise, he grabs the front of my robes now, lifting me up so he can speak without anyone overhearing. "Your little stunt could have outed Remus as a werewolf. Did you ever think of that? He could have been thrown out or worse. Get the fuck away from me before I do more than knock you on your ass."

I bring a hand up to my left eye as he walks away toward the locker rooms. When he disappears from my sight, I pull myself up and head back to the castle.

Remus remaining safe is in the hands of Snape.

Fuck.

James should have done more to me.

Walking around the grounds for a bit, I make my way back inside the castle in time for lunch. At the end of the table are James, Peter and Remus.

Remus. Shit. I haven't thought about confronting Remus. What the Hell am I supposed to say to him? 'Oh hey Remus, I was a moron and I hope you forgive me?' Bollocks.

Instead of taking my usual seat with them, I walk to the opposite end of the Gryffindor table, throwing my broom down next to me and resting my head down on the cool wood.

"Eat."

I lift my head up to glare at Evans. "What do you want?"

She rolls her eyes at me. "Listen, the entire school knows that _something_ happened last night to cause you to be sitting down here, and for Potter to have punched you earlier. Eat something. It will help you feel better."

"Why do you care?" I ask her, my face softening.

"I care about Remus," she says simply. "And I talked to him this morning so I know all about what you did, and I, like him, know you did it out of pure stupidity."

"Thaaaaanks," I say sarcastically, taking a bite of a grilled cheese I picked up from the plate in front of me.

She laughs, and for a moment, I can see what James sees in her. "That's a good thing, Sirius," she states, shaking her head. "Remus is a bit more rational than James. He knows that you didn't mean to hurt him. He knows _you._"

"Thanks," I say to her. I still feel like shit, but at least she's put it in perspective for me. Funny, never would have thought she'd be the one.

I wait to walk to the common room until nearly the entire Hall is empty. Peter is working on an assignment in front of the hearth when I get there, but I don't see James or Remus at all and needing to change out of my Quidditch robes, I walk up the stairs and slowly push our bedroom door open.

James is sitting at his desk, bent over a letter he is writing, and Remus is simply sitting at the foot of his bed. Almost as if he is waiting for me.

With the sound of the door, James glances at me quickly before sending Remus a look and turning back to his letter. When Remus looks down at his hands, I frown and walk to by bed, pulling my robes over my head and quickly throwing on shorts and a t-shirt.

I've never messed up this badly.

Remus and James are the only real friends that I've ever had. All the kids I used to hang out with were the children of family friends. All stuck up and prissy purebloods. Before James and Remus, I never knew what it was to have a friend. I can't lose them.

I just can't.

When my eyes begin to burn I back into my bed, sliding down to the floor and clenching my hair in my hands. I haven't cried in eleven years.

Not since I was five and my mother used the Cruciatus curse on me after Regulus and I knocked over a bookshelf in our library.

And now…now I can't stop the tears.

"Sirius?"

Fuck I don't want Remus to see me like this. I don't want anyone to see me like this.

"Shit," I hear James say. "Is he crying?"

Eleven years of holding back, and now I'm outright sobbing. I'm sitting on the floor in front of my two best mates, hardly able to catch my breath as the tears stream down my face.

"Shh."

And then Remus has his arms around me. Holding me tightly against his chest, he comforts me in a way that my family never did.

With a few deep breaths I'm able to stop crying and pull away from Remus. He can tell that I'm embarrassed as all fuck and sends me a small smile as I pick up my Quidditch robes and use them to dry my face.

"You okay?"

Slowly, I look up at James and nod, watching as he sits down on the floor beside Remus.

He raises an eyebrow at me. "Are you sure about that?"

I let myself let out a hollow laugh, which sends me coughing after crying for so long. When I stop, both Remus and James are looking at me in sympathy.

"What?"

Remus rolls his eyes at me. Again with the fucking eye rolling. "I'm fine," I say softly. "I just….I'm sorry."

"I know," Remus says. "We both know."

James nods in agreement with Remus, his eyes focusing on my blackened left eye. "I'm sorry about earlier," he states awkwardly.

"Don't be," I reply, shaking my head. "I deserve more than a black eye."

"No you don't, Siri," Remus says with a loud sigh. "You made a mistake but nothing bad happened because of it…everything's fine."

"Still friends then?" I ask, as pathetic as I know it sounds.

Remus smiles at me. "Of course," he replies. "We made a friendship pact and a Marauder never goes against a pact."

"Nope," James agrees, grasping my shoulder.

I owe so much of my sanity to these two. When I arrived at Hogwarts I was an obnoxious and horrified eleven year old but James and Remus gave me a chance and I nearly blew it. I don't deserve the friendship of these two.

But I will never do anything to jeopardize it again.

_Never._


End file.
